Inside the Belfast lab researching treatments to beat Covid-19

Health Reporter Deborah McAleese goes inside the QUB lab working to beat Covid-19.

A top virologist says he believes that we are heading towards the "tail" of the coronavirus pandemic.

Professor Ultan Power said a wall of immunity has been built - through high vaccination uptake and infection.

"I think we're heading towards the tail," he told UTV.

"In areas where we're seeing high levels of vaccine it looks like there's a wall of immunity that has built up that's having a tremendous impact on the frequency of severe disease.

"So it's still happening, but the frequency is much lower."

Since June 2020, the professor's team of scientists at Queen's University Belfast have been researching new treatments for Covid-19.

"The idea would be to have drugs that you could take very early that prevent you getting very sick," Prof Power said.

"And the fact that you could take them at home means you're not causing a major increase in numbers going to hospital or the emergency department.

"We have managed to identify one drug that looks very promising.

"This particular drug has been used over the counter for years and could therefore be easily and cheaply used globally very quickly, if we get the data to show it works in a clinical setting."